The Orlando Pride of the United States National Women’s Soccer League and Zambian international Grace Chanda have reached an agreement for a contract through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026, the club announced today.
The 26-year-old returned to playing football last month and has only appeared twice for Spain’s Liga F side, Madrid CFF, this season after recovering from an eight-month illness that forced her to miss the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
She scored her first goal for club or country since June 2023 in Madrid CFF’s 6-1 Liga F victory over Valencia on May 12, 2024, coming on as a substitute in the 82nd minute. Her second appearance came on Sunday, against Betis, and she played only nine minutes.
Chanda, who finished second in the 2022 CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year Award behind Bay FC and Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, will join her new teammates after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
At the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), she led the Copper Queens to their first-ever semifinal finish, securing their first qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Orlando Pride announced her as their latest addition on Thursday, with Haley Carter, the club’s vice president of soccer operations and general manager, describing the Zambian attacker as versatile
“Grace had a break-out year in 2022, proving what she is capable of, and we’ve had our eye on her since the buildup to the Women’s World Cup last summer,” said Orlando Pride VP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter in a statement. “While she navigated tremendous adversity this past year off the field, she has come out of it even stronger and is ready to make an impact. We are excited to bring her to Orlando and are confident in the quality and depth she will add to our midfield and attack. Grace offers added versatility, speed, and technical skill and is tenacity and joy personified on the pitch. We look forward to her arrival and getting her settled in the City Beautiful and can’t wait to see her in purple!”
“I am extremely excited”- Chanda
Reacting to her move Chanda is excited to link up with her compatriot, Barbra Banda, who was also signed by the club in March and has already scored eight goals and assisted twice in seven appearances. She is also looking forward to playing alongside six-time FIFA World Player of the Year award winner and Brazilian legend, Marta.
“I am extremely excited to join Orlando. It is a great club, where I will be able to play alongside amazing players, like Marta and Barbra,” Chanda said. “This is a very important step in my life because I have always wanted to play in the NWSL, one of the best leagues in the world. I hope I can adapt quickly so that I can help my teammates and the club achieve greater things together. I’m looking forward to this amazing journey of my life.”
From Ndola to Orlando: The Rise of Grace Chanda
Chanda is one of Africa’s most dynamic football players. She began her career with Zesco Ndola Girls in her hometown of Ndola, where she set a record by scoring 86 goals in 30 games in her final season in 2018 before joining Red Arrows FC.
The playmaker maintained her impressive form in Lusaka, scoring 36 goals for Red Arrows and winning the Golden Boot in the Zambia Women’s Super League in 2021 before moving to Kazakhstan to join BIIK Kazgurt FC, where she scored a hattrick in her UEFA Women’s Champions League debut in a 5-1 victory over Croatia’s ZNK Split on August 18, 2022, becoming the first Zambian female footballer to accomplish the feat.
She signed a two-year contract with Madrid CFF a month later and in the 2022-23 season, she contributed three goals and two assists in 26 matches.
Chanda has been a significant member for Zambia’s Copper Queens squad, representing the country at the 2018 and 2022 WAFCONs.
The midfielder was also instrumental in Zambia’s first qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Women’s Football Tournament, finishing the qualifiers as Copper Queen’s leading goal scorer with eight goals.
Chanda will become the third Zambian player to join the NWSL, following Racheal Kundananji, who signed for Bay FC for a world record fee, and Banda.
